Making Cents of Rising Feed Costs

The cost of keeping a horse has doubled or even tripled in some areas in the past several years. What's driving these cost increases? What can you do to control your costs while still keeping your horse healthy and happy?

Let's start with hay. The bulk of your horse's diet is (or should be) forage. Ideally, at least 80% of what your horse consumes in a day should be in the form of fiber provided in forage, i.e. long-stemmed hay, alfalfa pellets or cubes, beet pulp shreds, chopped forage, etc. or a combination of these. The remainder of the ration is generally grain or some other concentrate source.

Hay prices have soared in the past few years. This is due to a number of factors including widespread drought but there is also less mixed hay being planted because it is more financially beneficial to farmers to plant row crops that result in corn, oats, and soy beans whose futures prices have increased dramatically. The rising use of ethanol as a fuel source will continue to drive the price of corn up, which in turn drives the price of other grain sources. Corn that used to be grown and sold for feed will be replaced by other grains.

As less hay is available, the price will continue to increase... simple supply and demand economics. So it is imperative to start paying close attention to the quality of the forage you are buying. Whenever possible do a forage analysis so you know what portion of your horses required nutrients are being provided by the hay. Buy hay by the ton instead of by the bale. Why pay $4.00 per bale for a 35# bale 6% protein hay if you can pay $4.00 per bale for a similar sized bale that is 15% protein? Bale sizes also vary dramatically.

If farmer A sells you 50 bales of 14% protein mixed grass hay that weighs 40# per bale for $200, and Farmer B sells you 50 bales of 7% protein mixed hay that weighs 35# per bale for $200, where is the better value? Your horse needs twice as much of Hay B to net the same amount of protein, or you need to make up the difference in a concentrate source, which can be pricey.

Other nutrients are also analyzed in a forage analysis, resulting in a number known as Relative Feed Value (RFV). The higher the RFV, the better quality the hay is. You wouldn't want to pay the same price for 6% protein hay with a RFV of 82 as you would a 15% protein hay with a RFV of 102 any more than you would pay the same price for flank steak as filet mignon.

Whenever possible, buy hay as it is being made. If a farmer has to store hay, and handle it twice (or more), the price goes up. Secure a reliable hay source, analyze the hay from the fields you are buying from and buy and put up as much as possible during the growing and harvest season.

You can also utilize alternate forage sources when hay is scarce. However, keep in mind that your horse needs at least half of his forage of the long-stemmed variety to maintain good digestive tract health. The villi in the horse's intestinal tract require the "scratch factor" of long stemmed forage (hay, alfalfa cubes, chopped forage, and to a lesser extent, beet pulp shreds) to function normally. Pelleted forage sources and so called "complete" feeds do not provide this. Production of saliva is also dependent upon long-stemmed or scratch factor fiber and saliva protects the gut and helps prevent ulcers.

Lastly, keep in mind that pellets and other alternate forage sources are often consumed quickly, leaving the horse bored and the stomach empty. Horses were designed as grazers, spending up to 20 hours per day consuming forage and keeping the digestive tract moving constantly. It's unreasonable to think we can feed 2 or 3 meals per day of pellets and concentrate that will be consumed within an hour or so and keep that horse's digestive tract functioning normally.

Grain prices have also increased dramatically. Some of the reasons were discussed above. So how can you control your grain costs? First, assess exactly what your horse needs in the form of a concentrated ration. If you've done a forage analysis, you know what percentage of necessary nutrients are being provided by the forage. Depending on the age, class, and use of your horse, you can determine what other needs must be met.

Often stored hay is lacking in Vitamins (they leach out quickly after cutting), and some minerals. Grass hay may lack adequate calcium, or the soil may be deficient in microminerals such as copper, zinc, or selenium. Assess your horse's body condition. Is he fat? Thin? What are your expectations... does he decorate the pasture, or run an endurance race? Honestly assess his nutrient and energy requirements.

Consult a nutrition specialist in your area if possible. Doctor's Choice Nutrition Specialists are available for consultation free of charge... see www.equishine.com for info.

Obtain a scale so you can feed accurately by weight. Recognize that the prettiest bag or most recognizable name doesn't always translate to the best fit for your horse. It is now widely recognized that carbohydrates, present in varying amounts in the most common horse feeds, are not the best feed source for horses. They are also expensive: For example, four pounds of a very popular 6% fat grain ration at $15 per 50# bag equals $1.20 per day. The horse's diet is still lacking in certain essential nutrients. You can replace that with one pound of Rice Bran for about 63 cents a day and provide the same energy. Add a complete vitamin mineral supplement such as Equishine Pellets at a 6 ounce feed rate for about 35 cents a day and you have provided a completely balanced diet for an average horse in light work. (Assuming a 12% protein hay at 16 pounds per day.)

As a bonus, you will balance the diet far better in terms of vitamins and minerals, and reduce the percentage of the diet provided by grain to a near ideal 5.9%. If you do choose to feed grain, compare carefully. There are "least cost" feeds and "locked formula" feeds. Often the difference in cost is only $3-4 per bag, but the nutrient differences are dramatic. Make sure you are getting the most for your dollar, and recognize that even though you may pay more for a locked formula feed, you can often feed less to provide the same nutrient value.

Another way to maximize your feed dollar is to provide probiotics in the diet. It is widely accepted that feeding probiotics improves feed efficiency by about 15%. So if we can feed 15% less, we save money, even given the added cost of the probotic (about 26 cents a day.) An added benefit from feeding probiotics is a healthier digestive tract and stronger immune system. This leads to a healthier horse and reduced vet costs.

The take home message is simple. Spiraling feed costs are unavoidable, but knowledge is an effective tool. Know what you are feeding... use forage analysis, compare feed tags, and accurately weigh your rations. Eliminate waste and avoid overfeeding, for the health of your horse and your wallet!